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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  2. He who climbs up, will ________________ down.
  3. My father caught me by the ________________.
  4. Don't make such a big ________________ out of small things.
  5. He's taking a ________________ right now.
  6. ________________ you help me carry this box?
  7. That was a fun ________________.
  8. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  9. The ________________ went through the wall.
  10. We need to ________________ with this problem right now.
  11. The King held a masked ________________.
  12. In the ________________, covers are put over the fans in trains.
  13. She broke her ________________ while washing the dishes.
  14. My stomach aches so much that I can't ________________ asleep.
  15. He drove in a ________________ with his hammer.
  16. The pointer is employed to find upland ________________.
  17. I was having a ________________ recording these guys.
  18. We took cover from the thunder ________________.
  19. The dagger's metal was presumably from the same meteor ________________.
  20. Recycle the empty soda ________________.
  21. Part of that ________________ required him to leave the singing group.
  22. Tom opened a ________________ of soup.
  23. The kitten curled into a ________________.
  24. Roulette is a ________________ of chance.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. arm — a part of something
  2. fall — to drop
  3. arm — part of the body
  4. deal — a big deal
  5. shower — to wash
  6. can — to be able to
  7. game — a match
  8. arm — part of the body
  9. nail — for a hammer
  10. deal — to handle
  11. ball — a dance
  12. fall — the season
  13. nail — on a finger
  14. fall — to drop
  15. nail — for a hammer
  16. game — wild animals
  17. ball — a great time
  18. shower — rain
  19. shower — a meteor shower
  20. can — a tin
  21. deal — an agreement
  22. can — a tin
  23. ball — a round shape
  24. game — a kind of play

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com